Barack Obama's non-partisan (but kind of partisan) town hall for the kids on MTV, BET and CMT is underway. And according to someone who "auditioned" to ask something, the organizers want "light" questions. What kind of softballs should we expect?

Nick Seaver, writing at the liberal AMERICAblog, offers this report from his failed try-out at the "casting call:"

Last week I submitted my name to be a participant and was called back for the second round of "casting" (their word, not mine) with a representative from one of the networks.

After asking what topics I was personally interested in, they asked what question I'd want to ask President Obama if I were in a room with him. I gave a sample question to give them a sense of where I'd go, but not anything specific (something about the role that federal policy plays in preventing bullying in light of the recent attention to suicide). The next question was: What lighter question would I ask the President — something related to pop culture perhaps. I hadn't given any thought to this because, really, what moron blows this opportunity by asking the President "Mac or PC?" I gave them some light question and it was the one note that was made during the interview. I was not invited to attend.

Seaver's question, while dealing with a sad topic, wouldn't have even been that difficult for Obama to answer! He could've just said "Republicans keep blocking the repeals of anti-gay policies," keeping in style with his inspirational "Republicans are worse" message these days. But he's probably too scared of the livid gays right now to go anywhere near that stuff.

Anyway, got any last-minute "light" questions? Put 'em in the comments. Maybe one of those kids reads Gawker on the cell phone and will go rogue and ask your pleasant pop-culture query. Think along the lines of:

  • What do Malia and Sasha think about Justin Bieber's rap career? Conversely, what does Justin Bieber think about Malia and Sasha's rap career?
  • In the Team Edward v. Team Jacob debate, which one do you think is a bigger proponent of supply-side economics?
  • Do you think an M. Night Shyamalan movie about Washington D.C. would somehow be worse than the real Washington D.C.?
  • Does it still hurt that you got cut from the original lineup of New Kids on the Block?

Or whatever else is popular among youths.

Update: Scratch that guy's "light" question audition. Maybe that's for later. These people are freaking adults, and they're asking real questions! Here's a teacher who wants to know why Obama doesn't eliminate "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" by executive order. Now someone on Twitter is asking him whether being gay is a choice. (He says "no." Tough one, eh?) Presumably the gay-question segment is over now.